Return of LB polls deposits; Vellore Corporation cheque bounces

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In what could turn out be an embarrassment to the state government, cheques issued by the Vellore Corporation to candidates who paid deposits to contest in the local body elections originally scheduled for 2016, bounced.

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Chennai:

The local bodies were scrapped in October with special officers replacing elected representatives.

Though the matter is now in court which had ordered the polls before December this year, even this is doubtful, officials claim.

The three-tier panchayat raj system in Tamil Nadu includes village panchayats, panchayat unions and the district panchayat.

In Vellore district, a total of 29, 554 candidates opted to contest the 7,881 seats up for grabs, for which they deposited a total of Rs.54.56 lakh. Around 430 candidates were in the fray for the 60 wards and deposited Rs.76, 800 with the Vellore city Corporation, officials said.

Though the state government ordered that the amount be returned to candidates a few months ago,

the Vellore Corporation issued a cheque (No 264364) for Rs.2, 000 to candidate V Gomathi, wife of former councillor VK Venketesan of Sathuvachary. Though the cheque is dated October 9, it was handed over to Gomathi only on November 1 and when she deposited it in her Indian bank account, it bounced, for which she was charged Rs. 80 for no fault of hers.

Sources revealed that the cheque was returned due to lack of funds in the account. When this reporter tried to contact Corporation Commissioner P Kubendran, there was no response.